Another vaccine will come to Vietnam in the future.

VietnamNet reports that T&T Pharma, a Vietnamese pharmaceutical company, has signed a contract for 50 million doses of HIPRA, a COVID-19 vaccine currently undergoing trials in Spain. The vaccine, developed by HYPRA Human Health S.L.U., is a recombinant protein vaccine and can also be stored at higher temperatures than the likes of the Pfizer vaccine, which requires ultra-cold storage. 

The final trial phase of HIPRA began last month and is scheduled for completion in October, after which production would begin. The company hopes to produce 75 million doses by the end of this year, and over 600 million in 2022. According to the news source, trials thus far show that HIPRA is effective against the Delta variant.

It is not clear when the doses purchased by T&T Pharma would be available. The deal is valued at US$444 million. Negotiations took place during a visit to Helsinki by Vương Đình Huệ, the National Assembly Chairman, that also saw several other pandemic-related transactions.

Slovakia donated 100,000 AstraZeneca vaccine doses, while the French company NG Biotech donated 1 million test kits. T&T Pharma also signed deals with several German companies for technology transfer and production related to COVID-19 test kits.

To date, Vietnam has administered nearly 25 million Covid vaccine doses. In total, 5.8% of the country's 97 million people are fully vaccinated.